“This latest dismissal of SSE’s G1 challenge by the Court of Appeal is of course welcome news but it should come as no great surprise to anyone.

"It’s disappointing that SSE failed to recognise the clear and unequivocal rejection of its arguments by the High Court in March. But it’s not entirely surprising given SSE's reluctance to ever accept decisions that go against them, however overwhelming the evidence may be.

"Sir Thayne Forbes, sitting in the High Court, previously had no difficulty in rejecting the legal arguments presented by SSE - he said the challenge was "unjustified and without substance". We’ve never believed there was any merit in further challenges. This was confirmed yet again in April when Lord Justice Laws refused permission to appeal, and once more confirmed today by two of the UK’s most senior judges.

“SSE claimed previous rulings made matters less clear and were desperate for clarity. Following today’s decision, they certainly have clarity now – there is no future in the arguments it has made.

“SSE is proving Einstein’s lesser known theory of the definition of insanity – “that to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results".